HTC One M8 is my new best friend, not that you'd know from this post that follows. About 72 hours ago, FedEx delivered the T-Mobile variant, triggering my move from iPhone 5s to the newer One. The Apple's departure was inevitable. I merely dabbled in the 5s to support my iPad Air habit. But I expected to go Nexus 5, when returning to Android. Then HTC unveiled the One, which I really want to call the One Two. M8 is so robotic and diminishes the powerful connotations "the One" evokes.
This post starts several "first-impression" reactions as I go through the product review experience, which will be a longer process than anticipated. From one perspective, The One -- how I henceforth will refer to the M8 -- evolves from the older One. But from another vantage point, the refinements, particularly regarding the camera, are magnanimous and demand time to experience and to explain.
Some of you may consider moving from iPhone 5 or 5s to The One. That experience, and there are loads of considerations, is where I start. Future posts will be more positive about The One.
1. Design and craftsmanship are exceptional. Like its predecessor, The One is an attractive, well-built smartphone. This beauty will turn heads, if you keep it pure rather than dressed in drab case. If you bought iPhone 5 or 5s for appearances, you won't be disappointed transferring design affections to The One.
2. The One is huge. For perspective, the entire length of iPhone 5s is about the same as the length of the HTC smartphone's screen. Right, just the display. The One measures 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm compared to the Apple's 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm.
3. The screen is gorgeous. Much like its predecessor, The One packs one crisp display -- full HD, unlike iPhone 5s. Whether reading or watching videos, I find The One superior to the Apple.
4. Beware daylight. Outdoors, The One display is nowhere as readable as the iPhone 5s' screen. Dammit.
5. Fumble fingers are inevitable. I suddenly can no longer type text messages or much anything else. My muscle memory is attuned to a smaller display, and the move from 4-inch to 5-inch screen changes everything. HTC provides more generous space between keys, taking advantage of the extra screen real estate. That's going to be fine coming from the older One or another big Android, but, unless I am totally atypical, not from iPhone 5s.
6. The iOS 7 flat design is easier on the eyes. Likely, my fumble-fingers problem is as much about the benefits of Apple's UI as the change in screen size.
7. That said, HTC's Sense 6 is more refined than its predecessor. Subtle changes to attributes like fonts make the overall experience more pleasing than Sense 5. Hehe, The One has more sense than its predecessor.
8. The default color scheme displeases -- or so I find compared to the light freshness of the Apple's UI. Where did that green come from, HTC? Or should I blame T-Mobile? Eek. Someone needs a lesson in color palettes and things that cause eye strain.
9. BlinkFeed is great if you love it (and I do), and nothing on iOS compares. HTC refines the catch-all news, social, and weather app/UI into one of several killer, must-have, drool-worthy features.
10. Audio is awesome. The iPhone 5s tin-cans can't compare to The One's front-facing speakers, much like its predecessor. Boom, boom, baby.
11. Prepare for crapware. I assume T-Mobile's variant is typical. Like its predecessor, The One comes with loads of battery-life sucking software you may never want or need. I should feel good about the anti-malware, but complaining is my nature. That said, I can discern no performance penalty imposed by the crapware.
12. Popups are (cough, cough) everywhere. My God, did HTC hire a Windows Vista UI designer? The One delivers, at least on the T-Mobile variant, scads of annoying (but presumably helpful) pop-up tips. While they diminish with time and usage, the popups are sure to shock iPhone 5s users.
13. On T-Mobile, like the original One, the newer model offers WiFi calling. If you live in a sucky-signal area like I do, the capability is exceptionally useful. Apple won't let carriers add anything like this feature.
14. Battery life is exceptional, and in my early testing better than iPhone 5s. Suddenly a day's battery means just that.
15. Storage is expandable. Yep, there's a card slot on The One.
16. It's slippery. There is a reason HTC offers free screen replacement for six months. The One has nearly slipped out of my hands several times and once a foot fall to the desk. This is unusual for me. Get this: Best strategy to avoid drops: Dirty hands. Yuck.
17. Connections are better. In my neighborhood, using iPhone 5 or 5s on either AT&T or T-Mobile, calls are typically broken up on either end. Data is slow like cement. Calls on The One, like its predecessor or Moto X, are generally clear and data throughput much faster.
18. Your old data goes with you. Backup your iPhone 5s to iTunes, download HTC Sync Manager, and follow the instructions. I transferred everything important -- heck, even text messages -- from iPhone 5s to The One.http://www.htc.com/www/software/htc-sync-manager/?section=Overview
You might wonder about the camera. That's a topic deserving its own post. Watch for it. But take this as preview: I sold my digital camera yesterday.
Wrapping up, I started this post by calling the M8 "my new best friend". The One is my Mate (M-eight)
Source: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JoeWilcox/posts
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